


Fealty

by Verdite (Flareon)



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: BDSM, Cunnilingus, F/F, Fisting, Jasper's insatiable lust is problematic, Praise Kink, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 13:14:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10412934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flareon/pseuds/Verdite
Summary: Jasper struggles to adequately show her affection for Pearl.





	

Tucked away behind closed doors, in the privacy of their bedroom chamber, Pearl tends to offer praise more liberally than one might expect. It’s highly unnecessary, considering the size of her partner’s ever-inflated ego, but that has never stopped Pearl from flattering Jasper with such gratuities before.

Jasper’s learned well enough by now that it’s pointless to argue.

As if she even _could_ argue right now.

_“… Such a good girl, aren’t you? Spread so wide for me...”_

The words come as no more than whispers. Pearl knows Jasper is listening intently for any and all reverence that leaves her lips, no matter how lovely or mortifying it may be.

Jasper huffs, curling her toes against the bed sheets. She could be bad if she wanted. She could be naughty again, yanking against her binds, spitting half-hearted words of protest. It’s all for play, of course; it was all for show as Jasper mocked a scuffle before submitting, falling hard onto the mattress and letting herself be pinned, and spanked, and shackled. The rosy-red cheeks of her ass still burn, sore and bruised from Pearl’s hand and paddle.

Jasper _could_ be bad, but she doesn’t want to be. She’ll be treated well if only she behaves herself.

Pearl’s words twist inside her just right, titillating and at times humiliating with their kindness. No one else has ever treated Jasper quite like this, nor shall anyone else ever. Pearl is the only exception.

This gem, Jasper has realized over the years, is exceptional.

Atop their oversized bed and between Jasper’s thighs, a smile tugs at Pearl’s lips as she catches a glimpse of Jasper’s flushed and perspiring face. Heavy-lidded with lust and amusement, Pearl’s eyes flit back down to the juncture before her.

Jasper’s pussy, in particular, receives a fair amount of its own praise; it has been called _alluring_ and _beautiful_ no small number of times. What a strange way to describe such a thing. The words are as delicate as the gem from which they’re voiced, and Jasper isn’t surprised when Pearl doesn’t dare speak any more filthily than that. That just isn’t _her_. Pearl may be perverse in that she prefers Jasper hitched bottom-side up over her legs, crying out from the sting of a firm palm, but it takes much more before Pearl will lose her verbal filter entirely.

What’s more, Pearl shows her admiration for Jasper’s body through her actions just as equally.

Jasper’s cunt is plump and reddened, slick and gleaming from her desire and the mouth that’s been laving this part of her so thoroughly. Dipping her head forward once more, Pearl lets her tongue drag and swirl between Jasper’s luscious folds, gathering the liquid proof of her skill. She teases. Caresses. Her lips purse to suck a bit before she pulls back and releases her with a lewd, wet _pop_.

Pearl spreads Jasper apart to admire her for a moment, then whorls a finger around the proud, swollen clitoris at the apex of her slit. With two digits Pearl captures it and tugs downward, ever so gently, until it slips away. She teases her, drawing little crescent shapes around her there, purposefully avoiding providing enough pressure to bring Jasper to completion in this way.

It’s maddening. Jasper is tempted to openly deplore Pearl’s actions. Another part wants to _im_ plore, to beg and beg until Pearl caves and spoils her with her tongue and fingers and maybe their toys, too.

As much as she loves being flipped prostrate and taught a lesson, Jasper doesn’t want to be spanked for misbehaving right now. Jasper needs to come, but pleading for release is all but out of the question, too. She won’t sink to that level again.

She had pleaded earlier in the evening when Pearl spanked her there, that damnable hand landing noisy albeit light thwacks against her pussy. The blows had never been strong enough to _hurt_ , really, only meant to whet and tantalize, to turn Jasper mindless with need. And it had worked. The build-up had been so grand, once Pearl allowed her to reach her climax, Jasper had gushed across the bed in a veritable tsunami.

Jasper will resist the urge to beg, but she will give Pearl a hint. With a grunt, she nudges her hips upward in wordless suggestion.

 _Please, continue,_ her hips say.

And so Pearl does.

Jasper bites harder into the cloth stuffed between her teeth and adjusts herself over the bed, as if she could spread her thighs any further apart. Metal chains rattle against her legs and Jasper can’t help but tug at her restraints—leather cuffs encircle her wrists and the thick of her thighs, chaining both together, preventing Jasper’s hands from shoving Pearl’s mouth directly to her clit like she yearns for.

She wants to come hard and fast, again and again, until her body gives out. It doesn’t matter how many orgasms she’s had already. All she knows is that she can do it again, and that she wants to desperately.

But Jasper should be thankful, not greedy. They’ve been at this off-and-on all night. Pearl is only humoring her, attempting to fulfill her partner’s excessive need long after her own has been sated. Most others would have given up by now, but Pearl is nothing if not thorough.

Their… _unconventional_ proclivities help to wear Jasper down, at least. It took quite a bit of convincing, years ago, before Pearl finally used her sash to bind Jasper’s wrists to their headboard. But that had been such a pleasant experience for them both, they repeated the scenario again and again, until having Jasper bound with rope or leather or chains didn’t faze them in the slightest.

Not that any other gem would know that, of course. Their actions are a secret held between devoted partners. Pearl doesn’t speak a word of Jasper’s fascination with being bound and humiliated, and Jasper doesn’t speak a word of Pearl’s occasional desire to be on top, to be in control, to have a big quartz warrior begging and submitting to her. It’s such an absolute role-reversal, and it’s lovely. So lovely.

Pearl’s long fingers sink into Jasper again, their entry smoothed by the slick that seems to coat everything. Spend from previous orgasms covers the towels beneath them, Pearl’s forearm, her cheeks and even her breasts. For however much of a neatnik Pearl can be, she’s learned years ago that it’s fruitless to try to avoid getting messy—Jasper is always excessive with her release. And cleaning one another in the shower later is an attractive solution to this problem, is it not?

With her mouth finally cupped around Jasper’s conspicuous and needy clit, Pearl drives her fingertips upward, pressing deep within. Jasper groans and bears her muscles down, trying to feel more, more, _more_. Pearl indulges her by squeezing a total of four slim fingers inside, retreating then pushing in deeper and deeper with each thrust. She spreads Jasper slowly and methodically until even her knuckles have managed to disappear into Jasper’s greedy quim.

A comment is made, presumably salacious in spite of Pearl’s saccharine tone, but Jasper fails to make sense of the words. She writhes, arching her back as she feels the mouth of her cunt being stretched and stuffed.

Jasper’s been fucked so well tonight, her body welcomes all that Pearl gives her. Her pussy hugs and contracts as if to suck that hand in and hold it captive forever. Pearl presses rhythmically up toward Jasper’s belly, juddering her hand more than thrusting it, and—oh, _oh,_ does that feel good. Pearl knows exactly what she needs. She’s... observant. Dexterous. She’s—

_Nnf—_

With a sharp inhalation as those fingers twist and plunge, Jasper realizes she’s been holding her breath. She’d been so focused on those lovely sensations and nothing more.

Jasper may not need oxygen, but she does need air to voice her approval. With each new breath she gives encouraging little noises, prompting Pearl to shove harder until wet sounds begin to fill the silences between each moan. Soon the moans escalate in both volume and duration, saturated with desperation as Pearl manages to lure her closer and closer to the brink.

Pearl’s peach-colored hair tickles the insides of her thighs. Jasper feels air blow cool across her heaving chest, and the way her breasts ache as they rest, bared and unattended. There’s a bite mark hiding sore and warm just below one areola, its indentations nearly obscured by the hickey Pearl’s left in the same place.

The cuffs are tight on Jasper’s wrists, and although it would be no trouble for her to tear through them in an instant, she would never. This is her punishment... Her _reward_ , rather. They do all of this because Jasper enjoys it, and Pearl is ever, ever so indulgent.

Jasper’s so overly sensitive that everything manages to feel wonderful. A part of Jasper wants Pearl’s thumb, too; Pearl could draw her digits closely together, then give Jasper her entire fist. They’ve done it before. It wouldn’t be hard to give her everything, to push in and stretch and fill until she’s _overflowing—_

Gagged and bound with those thoughts, it isn’t long before Jasper’s lapsing into yet another orgasm. From head to toe, she’s overcome with pleasure as she hits her peak, moaning hoarsely into her gag as jolts of ecstasy are brought forth with each lap of Pearl’s tongue. Jasper’s been all but drained by now, but that doesn’t stop her arousal from continually dripping down Pearl’s wrist, both thin and viscous, her body scorching hot and tight as a vice around Pearl’s diligent fingers.

When Jasper manages to stop herself from jerking and trembling, Pearl leaves a kiss with the silky tuft of hair covering Jasper’s mound before leisurely withdrawing.

“Let me see,” Pearl coos, prying Jasper’s lower lips apart and holding one slick fingertip against the rim of her opening. “Show me, darling. Have you got anything for me?”

It takes Jasper a moment to realize what she’s requesting. Pearl wants to see precisely how wet she’s become, to see Jasper leaking, _pouring_ with her arousal.

Oh, stars. Pearl is feeling emboldened by her success, and Jasper’s more than willing to give her what she wants. They’ve both been too indecent for Jasper to be embarrassed by anything now. She’s always so excessively wet when she’s tied up and fucked like this, and Pearl loves to observe the way she gushes. Seeing Jasper like this is a reward in of itself.

Excess fluid dribbles out from her pussy as she pushes and groans. It’s not much, but after several flexes it’s enough to trickle warmly between the cool, wet cheeks of her ass, a creamy white oozing out over darker skin.

“That’s right... Just like that. Let it out.”

For such a prim and proper gem, Pearl sure can be dirty. She giggles a bit, as if she feels naughty indulging in such behavior, and eases away before Jasper can get a good look at the blue dusting her cheeks.

It’s fortunate they’d had the forethought to place towels down. Though Pearl makes a show of licking her digits clean of Jasper’s juices, any sweet tang that Pearl doesn’t suck from her fingers is wiped on the fabric instead.

Having been renovated into proper living quarters to accommodate her lover’s presence, Pearl’s room— _their_ room, rather—is cool and airy enough to chill the moisture on their skin. Through the hazy aftermath of multiple orgasms, Jasper can feel the beads of sweat on her heated face, trailing down to pool in the dips of her collarbones. Her breaths come shallowly. It’s been quite a while since Pearl has fucked her this thoroughly, and it’s apparent, between the utter mess they’ve made and how bonelessly jellified Jasper feels. Her body rests slack against the mattress, wrists hanging limply in their shackles against her legs.

Still, the tightness in her belly doesn’t loosen entirely. Despite the absurd amount of pleasure Pearl has managed to wrest from Jasper’s cunt over the course of an evening, it always seems as if Jasper could go for another round. Her mind and her lover seem to get bored of sex before her body ever does.

If there is a refractory period for quartzes, it isn’t very substantial.

Pearl makes a show of cleaning herself, swiping a cloth along the flat expanse of her torso and the blue-tipped peaks of her breasts.

Jasper’s gut clenches of its own accord, twinging with longing, perhaps, or just spasming from the aftereffects of it all. Jasper always has such euphoric highs when she comes, and it’s no surprise that her body continues to crave it, aching with satisfaction and desire simultaneously.

The slimmer gem bats a few unruly curls away from her cheeks. “I think I’m done for the night,” Pearl says, laughing softly as she wipes Jasper’s essence from her face, as well. “I wonder. Should I release you now? Or should I leave you exposed and shackled here while I get cleaned up first?”

Pearl would do it, if it were requested, leaving her to lie in a puddle of her own filth while Pearl alone bathes. Jasper can imagine it now: Pearl humming a cheery tune to herself, running a sudsy washcloth over her skin, while Jasper can do nothing more than writhe uselessly in her binds and wait for her lover’s mercy.

But Jasper wants to join her. Jasper wants to be the one to clean her. They tend to follow a routine after nights like this, with ample gentler moments to outweigh the harsh ones from before. Every night that Jasper’s flesh is punished, Pearl is there to kiss it better, to rub lotion and apologies into Jasper’s smarting skin until everything begins to heal.

Jasper grunts her answer into the cloth. Benevolently, Pearl crawls up alongside Jasper’s body and reaches to untie the knot behind her head.

Jasper’s gaze lingers over the modest swell of Pearl’s bared chest. Her nipples are not quite erect, but Jasper could make them so if she wanted. It would just take a quick rub of a thumb, a few flicks of her tongue before the flesh would pucker against her lips, begging to be suckled.

But Pearl’s done here. She doesn’t want to continue further.

Jasper bites back a sigh and closes her eyes as Pearl pulls the fabric from her mouth. Attentive and kind, even when playing these roles, Pearl wipes a bit of saliva from the corners of Jasper’s lips.

Just as well, then. They’ll stop here.

Pearl presses a kiss to Jasper’s forehead before she moves away to unbuckle the restraints. When Jasper opens her eyes, all she can see is the slender form of Pearl’s body, so much smaller than her own. All she can imagine is taking her, or being taken herself, loving her or being loved so thoroughly all throughout the night.

That’s too much to ask for. Pearl is clearly tired and sore, if the way she discreetly flexes her jaw is any hint. The tips of Pearl’s digits are pruned from fingering Jasper for so long. Along the foot of the mattress rest several toys, used and later discarded over the course of their love-making.

Pearl tries so very hard.

“I love you,” are the first raspy words that leave Jasper’s lips. They’re given on impulse yet not untrue in the slightest. The words come easily enough, having been shared between them so many times before over the years.

Even so, Pearl jerks upright in surprise, as if she’ll never get used to Jasper offering those words first. “And I love you,” Pearl returns after a moment’s hesitation, but the words are so familiar in that specific tone that Jasper doesn’t doubt her for a moment. Focusing again, Pearl releases one wrist and thigh from their buckles. Her fingers find the irritated flesh where Jasper had tugged against the cuffs and she checks for any long-term damage. Finding nothing substantial, her fingers skirt away to the next lock.

“I appreciate you,” Jasper offers. It’s the least she can say. And while she has the courage (or, rather, the lack of a filter), she should voice what bubbles to the tip of her tongue. Post-orgasmic bliss tends to make such feelings easier to share.

Pearl’s hands stop and she looks up, meeting Jasper’s eyes with her own. “I’m honored,” she says, letting a small smile grace her lips. She cocks her head, curious, as her hands resume their fluttering about. “Where’s all this coming from? Did I scramble something in your gem again?”

Jasper shoots her a petulant expression and shrugs. “I know I don’t say stuff like that enough. So… _there_. You’re welcome.”

“Mm. Well, thank you.” When Jasper is released entirely, Pearl sets the restraints and gag by the end of the bed and finds an empty space beside her. “I held out for a while. How many times did you reach your climax, darling?”

“I think that was... six? Sorry, I exactly wasn’t keeping count. A _certain someone_ kept distracting me.” As Pearl comes closer, Jasper pulls her into the shelter of her arms. “Six in one sitting, though! That’s close to beating your record.”

“Close, but no cigar.”

“... What?”

“Oh, it’s... It’s a human idiom I must have picked up from Greg, or... Nevermind that.”

Pearl traces the edge of a wide, red stripe on Jasper’s abdomen with her fingers. After a few moments of silent reflection, Pearl flattens her hand until it’s her palm rubbing soothing circles against her partner. Jasper’s body is all thick muscle covered by a layer of softness—in the lulls following their lovemaking, it isn’t unusual for Pearl to do this, to rub and knead Jasper’s more tender flesh appreciatively.

Pressing a cheek against her, Pearl exhales a sigh. “If only I were a robot. Then we could go all night. Fancy that.”

At Pearl’s words, Jasper realizes she’d been wearing a smile, if only as it dies from her face. Pearl’s still concerned about whether she’s pleasured Jasper enough. As if six orgasms wasn’t enough!

Pearl presses on, inquiring, “Would you like something like that?”

The only problem is that Jasper _never_ gets entirely worn out. Quartzes tend to have considerable endurance, to the point where they may fight and fuck until they poof or the seasons change, whichever comes first. Multiple orgasms may bring immense pleasure, but they don’t always provide Jasper the agreeable exhaustion that seeps deep into the muscles and mind. Some nights it feels as if there’s no limit to her need.

“Would I want… what? To go all night? Or to fuck you as a robot?” Jasper imagines herself being fucked by Pearl’s hologram and snorts at the absurd thought. “That’s not necessary. You’re fine. More than fine! Not everything has to be perfect.”

Pearl hums, and Jasper’s heard that sound often enough to know Pearl is acknowledging her words and yet ignoring all of them. “Even so. I wish I could fulfill your needs properly.”

Even with the knowledge that she’s Jasper’s other half—knowing she’s Jasper’s _world,_  even if Jasper doesn’t proclaim that enough—Pearl still struggles to remain confident in herself. She doubts her own worth, and there isn’t much Jasper can do to change that except give her time and support. And kind words, whenever she is able to spare them.

She still needs to work on that last part.

Jasper nudges Pearl to get her to look up, then presses a fat kiss to the apple of one pale cheek. “You _do_. You’re more than enough.”

Pearl’s teeth worry her bottom lip. “You don’t tire the way I do.”

“I have the endurance of a quartz. You know how quartzes are. We’re _insatiable_ , as you’ve said before.”

Without giving a reply, Pearl rests her head back down against Jasper’s chest.

Jasper frowns, even if her partner can’t see it. “ _Listen_ to me. I feel anything but dissatisfaction with you. Stop being such a damned worrywart with insecurity issues.”

“Such a pain in my butt,” Pearl jokes, unperturbed by Jasper’s bluntless. Her face is turned away so her gem presses into Jasper’s breast. Her fingertips probe hard into Jasper’s soft, so Jasper returns the intimacy, drawing Pearl closer and rubbing a hand across the smooth plane of her back.

Feeling cheeky, Jasper claps the bare skin of Pearl’s ass. “A pain? In your _butt_ , you say?”

Jasper never spanks Pearl—she’s just attempting to be silly, and it seems to work as Pearl squirms and tries to stifle her laughter. The mood shifts into something lighter. There isn’t much cushioning there for Jasper’s hand to grab, but Jasper rests her fingers against half of her bottom anyway, squeezing it affectionately.

“You’re lucky I’ve put up with your nonsense all these years,” teases Pearl, flicking playfully at the red on Jasper’s belly. “Nearly fifteen Earth-years now. Can you believe it?”

She can’t.

Sometimes, Jasper can’t believe she has Pearl at all.

It took quite some time for them to truly find one another. After Jasper turned traitor and officially joined the Crystal Gems, months had passed before Pearl came around enough to even be considered an honest friend. With time, they grew from begrudging teammates to tentative confidants. A year passed, then two, and somewhere among sharing their thrilling stories of warfare and Homeworld and Earth, Pearl had begun to smile at her with something more than mere amusement.

Jasper had been born on Earth and chose to serve Homeworld. Pearl had been born on Homeworld and yet chose to serve Earth. As Jasper’s allegiance shifted, her feelings for these rebel gems shifted, too—she was no longer an ally for mere convenience’s sake. The Earth had become a home to her, and this ragtag bunch of gems had become her family.

This defective pearl somehow became her closest companion. And after a long, long night of Jasper and Pearl conversing about various guerrilla warfare tactics and their mutual fondness for pink gems, somehow one of them felt it the perfect moment to capture the other in a kiss.

And, somehow, it was. It _was_ perfect, if only for the action serving to concretize their affections. That first night had been all clumsy fingers and jerky hips and assurances that this was okay, this was good; despite Pearl’s tears, Rose would want her to be happy; despite whatever rules forbade this back on Homeworld, whatever rules told them that a quartz and pearl weren’t meant to consort or copulate... This wasn’t Homeworld, Rose wasn’t here, and both of them, _both_ of them deserved to be happy.

Fifteen years. Jasper lets that number roll around in her head.

The couple’s so-called ‘anniversary’ is just weeks away, and Jasper hasn’t the slightest idea what to do for it. Steven said that humans often take their wives out to fancy dinners for anniversaries. He certainly does that with his wife, but Jasper doesn’t believe Pearl would appreciate the gesture as much, considering how much she abhors eating food in the first place.

Fifteen years.

It’s nothing, in the grand scheme of things. Only a blink compared to the thousands of years Jasper has been alive. But her time here on Earth has been more meaningful than any other chapter of her life. This is the place where everything changed for her, for perhaps the final time. More than love, Jasper had found a purpose: the Earth is in need of her service more than Homeworld ever will be.

In this section of the temple, their revamped bathroom is oversized to accommodate Jasper’s burly presence. They can both fit into the tub if Pearl sits between Jasper’s legs. After their intimacy, they find themselves submerged in warm, bubbly water together, cleaning one another of the day’s events.

Pearl rises up onto her knees so that she may reach forward and scrub Jasper’s voluminous hair. The water is comforting, and Pearl is so, so beautiful, nude all but for the bubbles in their failed attempt to hide her breasts. Jasper’s hand finds her there, one thumb fixed to an areola, and Pearl squeaks with Jasper’s wet locks spilling heavy through her fingers.

Jasper moves so that she may take Pearl’s nipple into her mouth. The taste of soap there doesn’t matter, really. All that matters is that Pearl is receptive, holding Jasper closer and wrapping her arms around her. All that matters is that Pearl enjoys this, she doesn’t say no, doesn’t give the slightest hint that she doesn’t want this.

But then Jasper remembers. It’s so easy to get carried away with her. Through the fog of desire, Jasper remembers that Pearl, at her core, is self-sacrificing. Pearl would break her fingers if it resulted in Jasper’s pleasure.

Jasper stops and lets Pearl go, apologizes sheepishly, teases Pearl for being so damn irresistible. Pearl flushes a pretty blue and claims that she doesn’t mind the attention, but… even so, Jasper controls herself for the rest of the night. She manages to ignore the lovely tits in her face as Pearl lathers and rinses Jasper’s hair. She ignores how finely sculpted Pearl is as Jasper runs a washcloth over her—from cheekbones to breasts to belly, to her knees and squirmy toes and back up. Jasper abandons the cloth briefly to slide her fingers between Pearl’s legs, feeling plump, hot flesh slicker than water. Pearl chuckles and sighs at the contact, shifting in the tub to spread her thighs further. So very tempting.

Pearl _does_ want it, but Jasper must slow her roll if she wishes to be any form of respectable. Their relationship is _founded_ on mutual respect. It’s a balancing act Jasper must commit to. Jasper’s fingers are drawn away, and Pearl’s gaze follows suit.

Later into the night, as they rest together and prattle at length, Jasper wonders what more she can do to express her dedication. Any words of importance catch thick on her tongue, and are soon lost to the jumble of other thoughts in her head.

Jasper will find a way to show her, then. In some way.

 

* * *

 

The days seem to pass slowly, and yet Jasper still can’t decide what to do for their anniversary. For however much she prides herself on her tactical abilities and decision-making, any plans fall short as she over-thinks and over-worries.

Pearl is too important. Jasper _cannot_ mess this up.

Ignorant to Jasper’s internal dilemma, Peridot has sportively challenged Pearl to a miniature robot duel. For quite some time now, they’ve worked together in the barn, tinkering with their machinery, building all sorts of things for amusement before they each constructed a mechanical figure to fight one another with.

On the hill between the barn and lighthouse, the engineers set up their tiny creations in a bare patch of dirt. It will be a fight to the death with the winner taking all the glory. This is one of many rematches born of their light-hearted desire to prove who is the superior engineer.

This is a battle Jasper wouldn’t miss for the world.

She and Lapis rest a fair distance away. As Jasper props herself up with both palms flat on the ground, grass springs up between her broad fingers as if nature itself were trying to hold her hands.

Lapis kneels behind her and loosely stuffs a few flowers into Jasper’s hair. Lapis has a wreath of wildflowers sitting atop her own head, and she felt flowers would look good in Jasper’s hair, too. Pearl thought it a splendid idea, so Jasper tolerates it.

Amethyst, Steven and Lion are playing somewhere down on the shore. A wrestling match between those three would be entertaining to watch, but Jasper’s more interested in admiring Pearl’s expressions as she sets up her robot, testing its controls and verifying its functionality. Her robot is a slim and agile little thing, not unlike its creator, whereas Peridot’s is built more like a bowling ball with claws.

Jasper would have constructed something more sturdy than Pearl’s and less heavy than Peridot’s, if she had the mind for their craft. But their distinct styles are fair enough.

“Twenty bucks says Peri will win,” Lapis says, and Jasper takes her up on the bet.  Jasper is confident Pearl will be victorious here—then she can scoop Pearl up and give her a big sloppy kiss, and Pearl will squeal with laughter before remembering herself and commanding Jasper set her down _immediately_.

They’ve done that particular act often enough for Jasper to accurately predict the future, at this point. The other Crystal Gems have thankfully adjusted to how obnoxiously sappy they can be together. Jasper and Pearl are still in a honeymoon phase, of sorts—or maybe this is how it always will be, if Ruby and Sapphire have anything to show for such a bond.

Jasper and Pearl aren’t nearly as bad as those two, though. Thank the stars for that.

Still, Jasper’s never had a true mate before Pearl, especially not one with a mind so different from her own. Despite knowing Pearl as well as the back of her hand, it’s difficult to predict what her reaction would be toward a grander gesture of admiration. Whatever that gesture might be.

When Jasper asks for Lapis’ advice on the anniversary problem, the blue gem simply suggests, “Take her out.”

“She doesn’t eat.”

“Not to eat. I mean take her somewhere on Earth. There are a lot of places she might find interesting. Savannahs, jungles, coral reefs...” Jasper recognizes some of the terms she lists—obscure words from nature documentaries, describing places on Earth Jasper has never bothered to see in person. “There are urban metropolises that stretch as far as the eye can see. The tallest of buildings, made of metal and crowding in on one another, the streets packed with humans.”

“Pearl doesn’t like humans. And her relationship with nature is… complicated,” Jasper grumbles, ripping up a chunk of grass with her now-clenched fist. “She knows much more of this world than I do. What could I possibly show her that she isn’t already familiar with? What would she enjoy?”

Jasper could bring her to a museum. Maybe Pearl would appreciate... No, no. Pearl is more of a historian than anyone here. She’s lived on this planet for more than five thousand years and experienced much of its history firsthand. What a stupid idea. Stupid, stupid.

Watching Jasper murder the grass, Lapis tuts in disapproval. It doesn’t matter that Lapis is doing the very same with flowers herself. “It’s just a suggestion,” Lapis says. “You never know.”

“I know _enough_.”

The battle commences, and Pearl loses. Her robot is crushed flat in under a minute. As Pearl groans in loss, it becomes clear that there will be no celebratory scooping up or victory-kisses from Jasper.

Jasper’s body jolts forward, wanting to reach out and immediately soothe her mate—but she stops herself short, not wanting to respond quite so quickly.

She isn’t Garnet, of course. Jasper can’t predict the future.

“I don’t have any money,” Jasper says, referring to the bet.

“Neither do I,” Lapis says. “Forget it. Just… consider my advice, okay? Take her somewhere nice.”

Jasper shifts and stands, brushing herself free of dirt and grass. A white flower falls from her hair and she reaches back down to rescue it.

“Thanks,” says Jasper, and Lapis waves her off, starting on a wreath presumably for Peridot.

Jasper approaches the other gems. Peridot is explaining something technical at length to Pearl—what mistakes she had made, what could have been changed. They’re both good sports about it, though. They’ve both been getting better at not taking things so personally.

Pearl crouches, folding her long limbs into herself as she begins picking up the scrap metal that used to be her robot. As Jasper kneels and joins her efforts, Pearl smiles weakly.

Jasper tucks the white flower in Pearl’s hair. Pearl blinks, surprised, and adjusts the flower until it sits firmly tucked behind an ear.

“There’s always next time,” Jasper tells her. She pushes a bit of hair back from Pearl’s face. The last regeneration from Pearl’s gem made her hair longer than before, fluffier, more prone to curling up over her cheeks. It’s quite pretty, but Pearl’s face is prettier.

Pearl smiles again, stronger this time. She kisses Jasper’s hand as it lingers there. “Next time,” she agrees.

“I won _this_ round, and that’s all that matters,” Peridot gloats. Her robot rolls around, legless, its momentum powered by some inner wheely mechanism Jasper can’t begin to understand.

“And I won the three rounds before this one,” Pearl reminds. As Jasper holds both hands out, Pearl drops pieces of the decimated robot into her big palms. “I do appreciate the practice, however. Your design is very… practical, Peridot.”

“As was yours,” Peridot admits. She taps a few buttons on her tablet, powering down her robot. “It’s responsiveness and speed were superior to mine.”

Jasper is glad to see that any trace of the bitter rivalry they once had is gone. This is more of a game to them—a throwback to some hate-fueled competition years ago that Jasper’s heard about but wasn’t present for. Peridot had won then, too, but had come out as the greater loser in the end.

They both have such brilliant, tech-savvy minds.

“Imagine what you two could build together,” Jasper muses.

When Pearl and Peridot look at each other, Pearl’s face tightens and she looks away almost abashedly.

As if there is a joke Jasper isn’t privy to, Peridot snickers and says, “Yeah. _Imagine_ , Pearl.”

 

* * *

 

“I… Forgive me, Jasper, but I don’t understand. What are we doing _here_?”

“I’ll show you in a moment. Come with me, please.”

Jasper offers an upward-facing palm to Pearl. Tentatively, Pearl reaches out to let her hand be clasped in Jasper’s warm, solid grip.

Jasper leads her down off the warp pad and into the dry, overgrown grass and weeds surrounding it. No one has been to this battlefield in centuries, it seems. It reeks of old horrors and thousands of lives lost, and Jasper really isn’t surprised that Pearl hasn’t been keen to return to this gem-forsaken place.

Still, there is something Jasper must show and tell.

“Trust me,” Jasper says, and Pearl does. She always does.

They follow an unmarked path for what feels to be more than a mile. Jasper keeps an eye out for landmarks: a gnarled tree here, a thorny bush there. There is no defined path, but Jasper remembers the layout of this place well enough. When they reach a significant hill, Jasper scoops little Pearl into her arms, carrying her as one would a human bride.

“What are we doing here?” Pearl asks, not doing much to protest the special treatment. Her fingers find the edge of Jasper’s top, tracing the V it makes over her cleavage, poking the topmost point of the pink star insignia below.

Jasper half-shrugs and hoists her up higher. “It’s a, uh, surprise.”

Carefully, Jasper carries her mate up a rocky hillside, each step cautious with the effort to keep her footing secure. Once they reach its crest, Jasper sets Pearl down on her feet.

Beyond the mountains in the distance, the sun has begun to set, casting the cloudless sky in a warm, pinkish color.

On the plains of dying grass before them, the weapons of long-dead soldiers are still strewn haphazardly, jutting from the ground, sometimes overlapping in places where gem after gem had been shattered. What had once been boulders were reduced to rubble long ago by the mighty quartzes that had fought to their deaths here.

A jasper fusion’s giant axe, orange and gleaming gold in the light, glimmers and grabs Jasper’s attention. Only Pearl’s voice breaks her from her thoughts.

“This is an odd place to watch the sunset,” Pearl says belatedly.

Jasper clears her throat. “Yes. Um.”

“Why are we _here_? This is Facet Nine, isn’t it? If you were looking for the Beta Kindergarten, I could have led the way.”

“No.”

She didn’t plan on bringing Pearl to her kindergarten—it’s a place that jogs painful memories of the many sisters Jasper’s lost, a place they need not return to. Nervously, Jasper chuffs, clenching her hands and struggling to find the words she needs to voice.

This was a bad idea. Of course Pearl wouldn’t want to return to this place—not where so many of their comrades had died, on both sides. Still, with Pearl’s concerned gaze lingering on her face, Jasper finds the strength to explain.

“This is where I first saw you,” Jasper admits. She shields her eyes from the setting sun with one hand, and points to some obscure marker far in the distance with the other. “There. You stood there, at Rose Quartz’s side.”

Pearl rocks back onto her heels, unsure of how to respond. “That was…”

“Nearly five thousand years ago,” Jasper says. “I stood here, in this very spot, protecting a scout. We were close to enemy lines. The scout was just a little thing, but had better eyes than any quartz. She told me she could see Rose from here, and that there was a pearl at her side—a pearl with a _sword_. I thought it the strangest thing.”

Pearl laughs, soft as bells tinkling in the wind. She loops an arm with Jasper’s, smiling now. “Did _she_ see me, or you?”

“She…” Jasper pauses. “I think I saw you. You were very… _colorful_ , for a pearl, right?”

With a dip of her head, Pearl accepts that, letting a fond smile linger on her lips. “I suppose I was. That was during the highlight of my, shall we say… _rebellious_ stage.”

“I didn’t know what I was looking at. If I’d had any idea of what you’d someday mean to me, I would have thrown myself down at Rose Quartz’s feet and branded myself a traitor.”

“Oh. That’s… I don’t have the words, except ‘thank you’. We were both loyal to our respective sides and there’s no fault in that.”

Pearl gestures for them to sit. Jasper lowers herself first, flat onto her bottom, then Pearl welcomes herself into her lover’s lap. She rests her back against Jasper’s chest so they both may look out at the setting sun as it fades from pink into darker, warmer hues. “Thank you for sharing.”

Not much more needs to be said. After several moments of silent contemplation, Pearl asks, “Do you still consider us _traitors_?”

“The very best,” Jasper says, only teasing as she finds Pearl’s hand with her own. “If we weren’t, I wouldn’t be able to be here with you.”

Pearl hums in agreement. “Fair point.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do this, either.”

Jasper’s full lips find Pearl’s neck. Pearl lolls her head to one side, giving Jasper space to leave warm, wet kisses there.

Hours into the night, the stars shine vibrantly overhead. Homeworld’s galaxy can be seen from here, but it is less of an oppressive force than a reminder of what they’ve forsaken for this world.

Jasper speaks. She speaks any words she can, in any way she can. Her sentences are a bit nonsensical as she rambles about Earth and its beauty, and Pearl, and Steven, and how much she loves being here. She hadn’t had a family before the Crystal Gems, save for the kindergarten sisters lost so long ago—since then, Jasper had forgotten the meaning of the word, forgotten how to love another, and had nobody to love her in return.

But she feels loved now. As Pearl turns in her lap, holding one slender hand to the broadness of her jaw, Jasper speaks and speaks until she’s pretty sure Pearl is internally laughing at her stupidity through the smile plastered on her face.

“You’re such a sweetheart,” Pearl says. She perks up briefly to press a kiss to Jasper’s lips, then slouches back down in a very un-Pearl-like manner, letting herself be enfolded in Jasper’s arms. “If only you showed the others this side of you.”

All the colors of Pearl are muted in the darkness, but Jasper can see the reflection of stars in her eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is incomplete, in my mind, and will likely stay that way because writer's block is the worst. I started this fic with the thought of Pearl and Peridot building a, er... machine to satiate Jasper, and then wrote something entirely different.
> 
> Anyway, Pearl's anniversary gift for Jasper is a fucking machine, built with Peridot's assistance, because Jasper deserves nothing less than getting that pussy wrecked. Thanks for reading!


End file.
